Self-taught artist Edward Seago, the son of a coal merchant, was born in Norwich, England, in 1910. He led a multi-faceted life that included touring with traveling shows and circuses across Britain and Europe, helping to develop camouflage for the British army in World War II, and touring the Antarctic with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Though his work was collected by royalty such as the Queen Mother and Aga Khan III, its immense appeal found many admirers and collectors from all walks of life during his lifetime, with long lines forming at his many exhibitions around the world. The appeal of Seago’s work is fully evident in Fishing Boats on the Beach, Cascais, with his gestural yet delicate depiction of the Portuguese seaside resort town conveying a lovely Post-Impressionist sense of atmosphere and place. An exquisite painting with a fascinating history, this work was one part of the collection of a prominent Golden Mile Montreal family, whose members included William Ekers, owner of Ekers Brewery and the last English mayor of Montreal, as well as Captain John Ogilvie Hastings of Ogilvie Flour Mills.